Lightning Talks: Campaigns for Economic Justice in 2027

Although the U.S. economy has long produced disparate outcomes, the current scale of inequality is staggering. From a federal minimum wage that hasn’t budged from $7.25 in nearly two decades, to a record 22.7 million cost-burdened renter households and a record 31.7% of household wealth held by the top 1%, there is no shortage of indicators that the economy is not working for far too many.

As consumers feel the pain at the pump, at the grocery store, and in their health insurance premiums, millions of immigrants are facing additional stressors. Immigration raids that tear families apart (often robbing households of a primary breadwinner); wage theft and worker abuse; and unsafe working conditions in construction, agriculture, meat processing, and other industries all collide to create tremendous economic precarity.

In this unique “lightning-talk” session of the Advancing Economic Justice Community of Practice, attendees will hear from multiple campaigns across the country that are advancing pro-worker and pro-immigrant strategies. The lineup will feature groups making five-minute presentations on live and actionable campaigns, including minimum wage and wage theft, workplace standards and worker rights, and women’s economic empowerment.

Following the presentations, funders will have the chance to participate in thematic breakout spaces to explore shared areas of interest and discuss funding strategies and opportunities to advance economic justice.